Fifteen years later.

Nan Gua and Xi Gua Lao returned to the Village of the Vines, where they lived and trained, masked as all vinelings did, in the solitude of obscurity.

Eventually, the world of Wuweizi forgot all about the vines and the magic of the vinists who used them. It all faded into mystery and mystique.

And, thanks to Yue Ji’s death, the soul palaces of the Mythical Beasts eventually returned to the world.

Balance was restored, with our new Babylon Brothers ruling it all.

Just like we all suspected, it was a cycle. An epic cycle Possibly formatted in the style of our ring-style poetry of old.

A poetry of vines is all that really mattered.

The Matriarch passed away, and then Nan Gua became the new Matriarch. She became known as the Woman of All Instances, Fully Unlimited—or W.A.I.F.U. for short.

So Waifu, as she was known to all her sisters and other sisters (as well as Harold), her husband and her sons (six of them, as well as a daughter and one other child), ruled over the secrets, the lost arts of all vine-related things.

Eventually, she decided, it would be time for vines to end. To slowly let the vinery fall to nothing but grass and green, and for the magic to finally disappear in some number of generations.

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It was time to bury the vines for good and let the roots take once again.

Xi Guo Lao, now an aged father with a bushy beard and crow’s feet above his eyes, smiled fondly at this idea.

He had never been a great fighter. Nothing he did ever amounted to much except to make Waifu stronger and more successful. And that was okay. He, the protagonist, was always fine with playing second fiddle to the woman who was really in charge of the show. And the next generation to succeed him would probably be the same.

His younger sister Hei Mei, now an adult, was one of the most popular people on the entire planet, and Ghebville was now one of the ultimate metropolises on all of Alabaster, with its treehouse layout one of the most appealing things about it (also all the giants got killed due to colonialism, oh that’s sad).

So Xi Guo Lao, finally, just had all the time to himself to practice that lost art of the vines.

He could even recite his favorite spell to himself when he was feeling down. It didn’t do anything special, but he liked it anyway.

Xi Guo Lao spoke:

“Vine vines vine vine vine vines vines vine vine vines vines vines vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vine vine vine vines vines vine vines vines vine vines vine vines vines vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vines vine vine vines vine vines vines vine vines vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vine vines vine vines vine vine vines vine vine vine vine vine vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vines vine vine vines vine vines vines vine vines vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vine vines vine vine vine vine vine vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vines vine vine vines vine vines vines vine vines vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vine vines vine vines vine vine vines vine vine vine vine vine vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vines vine vine vines vine vines vines vine vines vines vines vine vine vines vines vine vine vines vine vines vine vines vines vines vine vine vines vines.”

It was a cozy, nice life.

Then everything changed when the Dark Vine Nation attacked.